anilnetto.comanilnetto.comThe journalism and other writings of Anil Netto - featuring real journalism in the cause of justice, freedom and solidarity 
Articles
Why are we subsidising the profitable IPPs?
2007-10-16 05:44:00 Why are Malaysians - via Petronas - providing billion of ringgit in gas subsidies to the profitable IPPs? And yet, the government is always complaining it has to pay so much in fuel subsidies for the people. What about the gas subsidies to the IPPs? The owners of the IPPs are not exactly poor. ... More About: Profitable , Subs
Toh Kin Woon, the BN?s most principled politician
2007-10-12 04:19:00 I was glad to see the Malaysiakini interview with Toh Kin Woon and sorry to hear that he is retiring from politics soon. I would say Toh, the Gerakan vice-chairman and Penang state exco member, is the most principled politician in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. He has called for the abolition of the Internal Security ... More About: Christianity , Poverty , Accountability , Politician , Civil society
Public meetings for lamp-posts - but not for PGCC
2007-10-10 19:27:00 A few years ago, the government allocated funds to turn parts of the area around Jalan Kapitan Keling in Penang into a “Gold Bazaar”. According to Seri: …the Gold Bazaar was proposed by former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad after a trip to Dubai and upon being told that the majority of the jewellery on display were ... More About: Environment , Public , Democracy , Accountability , Meetings
Amidst the judicial shambles, a stunning Federal Court decision
2007-10-09 17:59:00 All that bad news about the judiciary and the shambles it is in. Yet, amidst the uproar and outrage (and rightfully so) over the Lingam tape, there was much cause for rejoicing especially in Sarawak: a sweet victory for natives over the Sarawak state government on the issue of native customary rights, courtesy of a ... More About: Decision , Stunning , Judiciary , Judicial , Court
Guitarist-singer Alfred Ho turns to blogging, opposition politics
2007-10-08 18:22:00 Just received the following in the mail: Dear Anil, Allow me to introduce myself. I am a blind individual in my 50s, and a singer, guitarist by profession. Just like yourself and many other right-thinking Malaysians, I am truly fed up of the Barisan government what, with their many unjust policies. Needless to say, their corrupt ... More About: Politics , Blogging , Singer , Guitarist , Alfred
Penangites fume over PGCC deception at packed forum
2007-10-07 17:06:00 Angry and disgusted: Strong views from Pena ngites. Before the public forum this morning, organisers in the PGCC Campaign Group, a network of activists representing close to a dozen Penang-based NGOs, were privately fretting over whether they would get a decent turnout at the seminar rooms of the Dewan Sri Pinang. They needn’t have worried. Close to 300 ... More About: Forum , Deception
PGCC and the “National Policy on the Environment”
2007-10-06 18:00:00 A reader has alerted me to a creature known as the National Policy on the Envi ronment . It can be found on the Mida website. Just one question: do you think the PGCC complies with it - especially the bit about “ensuring the highest commitment to environmental protection and accountability by all decision-makers in the public and ... More About: The Environment
PGCC: Now you don’t see it…
2007-10-05 16:53:00 The Penang Turf Club land as it stands now (without the Penang Global City Centre) in the distance as seen from Komtar.
Angry Penangites speak out against PGCC
2007-10-04 18:42:00 Sentiment against the PGCC is clearly running high, judging from the angry and disgusted comments I have been receiving from concerned Pena ngites. Here’s a sample of comments: Regarding the sale of the Turf Club land: What exactly was the role, if any, of the Penang Development Corporation in the sale of the land? How did rank outsider Patrick Lim ... More About: Angry , Speak
Aliran Monthly contributor John Hilley arrested near Glasgow
2007-10-03 17:28:00 The Glasgow -based political scientist and activist, John Hilley, who writes on global justice issues for Aliran Mont h ly, was among over 170 peaceful protesters arrested in Faslane, 25 miles from Glasgow, on 1 Oct 2007, at the culmination of a year-long protest against the siting of Trident missiles at a naval base there. He tells me ... More About: Arrested
Have the generals won in Burma?
2007-10-01 17:53:00 So thousands of heavily armed soldiers are patrolling the streets of the Burmese capital, Rangoon, forcing the peaceful protesters off the streets. Have the hopes and prayers for democracy in Burma been totally crushed? Have the pro-democracy protesters been defeated? Not by a long shot. When a government resorts to bullets and clubs to suppress peaceful demonstrators, you ... More About: Human Rights , Democracy , Global justice movement , Asean
SXI: Brother Charles Levin?s legacy
2007-09-30 16:29:00 From the corridor, I spotted a tall solitary figure strolling in the school courtyard in the evening light. For one moment, it felt as if I had been transported back in time. The setting looked familiar - though there seemed to be a lot more potted plants and greenery around. “Brother Charles !” I called out. He spun ... More About: Christianity , Legacy , Levin
PGCC: It?s 40 towers, not 37
2007-09-29 17:32:00 So the latest count is 40 towers of more than 10 storeys each, higher than our earlier estimate of 37 towers. This is the count, based on the building plan. Download the plan below by clicking on the link and note the 5-storey podiums for car parks in this “zero-carbon” city. PGCC building plan More About: Environment , Accountability
PGCC: There go the angsana trees
2007-09-28 13:14:00 My sources tell me that the PGCC developer’s consultants said yesterday they would avoid cutting down the trees along Scotland Road but admitted that some angsana trees would have to make way for the road widening/flyover work, especially near the Jalan Batu Gantong junction, to cope with the extra traffic anticipated. These trees are actually heritage ... More About: Environment , Trees , Rees
Lawyers? march, Burma?s struggle, PGCC campaign all related
2007-09-26 16:31:00 This is a more realistic miniature model of what the PGCC will look like - Awful! What do the lawyers marching in Putrajaya, the ordinary people struggling for democracy in Burma and those campaigning against the Penang Global City Centre Project have in common? They are all part of the global justice movement, trying to create a ... More About: Environment , Lawyers , Human Rights , Campaign , Democracy
Malaysians, Burmese march for democracy
2007-09-25 17:55:00 Monks have been leading tens of thousands of people as protests rock Burma People are on the march in both Malaysia and Burma in their quest for justice and freedom. The Malaysian Bar Council is organising a march of lawyers from the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya to the Prime Minister’s Office in the morning of 26 ... More About: Human Rights , Poverty , Democracy , Global justice movement , Judiciary
PGCC and CGCC
2007-09-24 17:59:00 Well, you all know what PGCC is by now - the massive RM25 billion Penang Greenwash… err, I mean Global… City Centre project. And CGCC? That’s Catastrophic Global Climate Change. If we go ahead with PGCC, it would only add to CGCC. If you are not convinced that building 37 “tombstones” (high-rise towers) on the Penang Turf Club ... More About: Media , Environment
Migrant workers vs expatriates - Our double standards
2007-09-23 17:58:00 Today, I dropped by to check out the Migrants Sunday celebrations organised by the Migrant Workers Support Centre on mainland Penang. As I looked around at the gathering of workers from Burma, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, I couldn’t help thinking about the double standards we practise when we think of foreign workers. Let’s look at some ... More About: Standards , Double , Human Rights , Double Standards
Fahmi Reza?s outstanding film on the 1947 hartal
2007-09-22 06:25:00 Remember the name - Fahmi Reza , the worthy winner of the Freedom Film Festival 2007. Last night I headed for the opening day’s screenings at the Actors’ Studio in Penang, mainly to see Fahmi’s “Sepuluh tahun sebelum Merdeka” - and I was not disappointed. It was the best local political documentary I had seen. The ... More About: Outstanding
Malaysian judiciary hits rock bottom
2007-09-20 12:01:00 Well, say no more! As my academic friend observes: …this is a sterling opportunity to draw out the oligarchic control of this country — a chance to pull away from the ethnic ding-dong that’s going on. Here is the oligarchy of wealth and privilege: an Indian lawyer, a Chinese tycoon, a Malay judge, ... More About: Malaysian , Rock , Democracy , Accountability , Judiciary
NO! to M?sia?s FTA with police state, USA - Remember, 1.2 million dead in I
2007-09-20 08:55:00 The new US ambassador to Malaysia, James Keith is urging both Malaysia and the United States to conclude a Free Trade Agreement after an earlier deadline in June was missed. Of course, the US stands to benefit far more in such an “open market”. To draw an analogy, it would be like Manchester United playing ... More About: Police , Human Rights , Neo-liberal economics , Police State
PGCC: Council to hear nearby residents? concerns
2007-09-20 07:20:00 Feelings against the PGCC are running high. Despite the mainstream media’s almost total blackout of dissenting views, emails have been going around, highlighting the adverse implications for Penang if the project goes ahead. Concerned activists have begun a campaign to raise public awareness of the PGCC and its horrendous implications for Penang. In the midst of ... More About: Environment , Hear , Council , Accountability , Resident
PGCC: Why did the Penang Turf Club sell a goldmine?
2007-09-18 17:57:00 Say you had a home that sits on vast, potentially valuable, prime land in a popular land-scarce island. You know that bigtime developers are greedily eyeing your sprawling green turf because when they look at it, you can almost see $$$$$ pop up in their eyes and hear the chek-chek-ting! of a cash ... More About: Environment , Penang , Accountability , Club , Sell
NCER: Transforming agriculture - for whom?
2007-09-17 18:04:00 On July 30, the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) master-plan was launched with much fanfare. Among other goals, the blueprint aims to transform agriculture in the rice-bowl region of Malaysia.The masterplan was designed by Sime Darby although the project will be implemented by a regional coordinating authority, chaired by the Prime Minister. On the face of ... More About: Workers , Agriculture , Agrobusiness , Agri , Tran
Lipstick on the PGCC gorilla
2007-09-16 16:17:00 The PGCC developers talk about building a zero-carbon city, but they don’t tell us about the scale of carbon emissions during the years of construction. It might be worth looking at what people in the know are saying about large so-called “eco-projects” elsewhere. Check out this excerpt from The Georgian, Issue 1, 2007. The Georgian is the ... More About: Environment , Lipstick , Gorilla , Tick
Main Penang NGOs express alarm over PGCC
2007-09-15 10:23:00 If Patrick Lim and Equine Capital think it is going to be smooth sailing after the Prime Minister announced that approvals for the PGCC would be fast-tracked, they had better think again. This morning, half a dozen of the main Penang NGOs came together to express their stand against the development of the PGCC at a ... More About: United States , Main , Alarm , Express
What Patrick Lim didn?t show us: The missing 35 towers
2007-09-14 16:56:00 So PGCC master planner Nasrine Seraji claims I misquoted her and took her comments out of context. She was reported as saying that those comments were made four years ago and that no slides or pictures were shown on my blog post, which she claims was also not in the context of her conference. But ... More About: Environment , Show , Patrick , Accountability , Missing
Towers rattle and shake after ?iconic? towers? masterplan launched
2007-09-13 15:51:00 When I requested my late dad and my late grandma a couple of days ago to watch over the green spaces surrounding their final resting place at the Bukit Gantong columbarium, neighbouring the proposed Penang Global City Centre, and to ask God to preserve the environment there for future generations, I wasn’t expecting anything earthshaking. What ... More About: Environment , Launched , Mast , Aster
The mothership is landing?
2007-09-11 17:51:00 And so Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi launches the masterplan for Patrick Lim’s RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre project on 12 Sept. They say a picture paints a thousand words. Have a look at these graphics visualising the PGCC, which I am reproducing here from architect firm Asymptote’s website in the public interest I don’t know about ... More About: Environment , Accountability , Landing
Architect Nasrine Seraji exposes PGCC developers? greed
More articles from this author:2007-09-10 16:53:00 The developers of the RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project have been telling us how green and carbon-free their project is going to be. But what they didn’t tell us is they actually wanted to cram in as much as they could into the Turf Club land to maximise profits. In fact, they ... More About: Environment , Accountability , Greed , Developers , Develop 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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